Daisies for your cupcake
by Trinxy
Summary: Katherine Beckett is known by the name of 'The Cupcake Lady' in the city of New York and running her very own cupcake bakery named "The 12th". One day, world famous author Richard Castle stumbles into her little shop and changes her life forever. Castle set in 'Pushing Daisies' like world. Totally AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I have friends. Good friends, but crazy friends. They constantly challenge me to write. Many months ago, they were discussing something in Skype and suddenly they had generated a long talk about cupcakes and how awesome it would be if "somebody" could write a fic about cupcakes. *rolling eyes***

**Here's what they gave me:**_"__Imagine an AU where Kate is not a NYPD officer but the owner of a cupcake shop and Castle is an author who went there to take a pause from writing and he sees her manage anything with her assistants Espo and Ryan. Castle in Pushing Daisies world."_

**So – here is what I have come up with. **

**If you are not familiar with Pushing Daisies, I suggest you to go to YouTube and watch some of the videos. It is a brilliant show and I love all the colours there! **

**And here's what I am asking you to do – read this fic with bright colours – to create more like Pushing Daisies like feel. Bright pinks and bright yellows. All the colours of the world!**

**So here it is. **

* * *

**Chapter 1 **

At this very moment in the city of New York, young Kate was 19 years, 7 weeks, 1 day and 3 minutes old. This was the moment young Kate realized her life was going to change forever. Coming home with her dad from a dinner date, the police of the fine city of New York were waiting for them at the doorstep.

The usual police speech was given to her, like it would be any other everyday conversation. There was no emotion, no feeling in it, it just was stating the facts. The circumstances of her mother's death weren't immediately clear to her, but one thing was sure: young Kate was in agony. Her mother had just been killed. At this very moment, Johanna Beckett had been dead for 4 hours, 8 minutes and 2 seconds, left in the alley to bleed out. The only clue to her death was a post-it note with a print of an angry cupcake on it.

Young Kate did not think something like this would happen to her. She had always thought that she would finish her studies, be the first female Chief Justice, marry and have 2.5 kids, a dog and a perfect husband. And she believed she would have her mother to support her through all of this. But her world tilted on its axis with only one sentence. _"Your mother was murdered..."_

After her mother's death, Kate avoided social attachments, fearing what she'd do if someone else she loved died.

And she became obsessed with _cupcakes_.

It's 10 years, 28 weeks, 3 days and 32 minutes later, heretofore known as "Now." Young Kate has become _The Cupcake Lady_.

And this is the place where she makes her cupcakes - her very own cupcake cafeteria named "The 12th". In her cakes and cupcakes the peaches are never brown. In her hands, the fruit and dough blossom with everlasting flavor…

* * *

At this very moment, Richard Castle is 39 years, 18 weeks, 8 days and 14 minutes old. This was the usual every day madness at his home. Alexis, Richard's daughter, is peacefully sipping her morning drink while his mother is reading Shakespeare's _Hamlet_ out loud in the living room of Castle's huge Manhattan loft. Even though he loves his family to bits, he needs a break from them from time to time.

On this very day, Richard has decided he had enough of writing for the day and needed a breath of fresh air. He had been up since the wee hours of the night and the clock had just turned seven - it was high time to stroll around the city.

Interrupting his mother's play acting, he raised his voice to notify them over the sounds of Martha's speech. "I'm heading out to get some cupcakes, do you want something?"

Alexis, who was 14 years, 41 weeks, 3 days and 25 minutes old, perked up from the counter and raised her hand. "I want a peanut butter cup flavored one please! Are you going to "Crumbs?"

"I don't know yet, we'll see," Richard smiled at his daughter and turned his attention to his mother. "Mother, you want something as well?"

"No, thank you, dear," she finally took a break from her performance and shook her head. "I have to fit into a tiny costume tomorrow; I can't take chances with cupcakes right now. You go have fun."

As Richard turned towards the door, his mother added. "But if you happen to pass a wine store, I wouldn't be opposed to you picking up a bottle of that red one we had last week."

"Yes, mother," Castle nodded and was through the door quickly, surrounded by sweet silence. That was all he needed. Whistling the _Star Wars_ theme, he made his way to the elevator. "Fine day today," he mumbled before the doors opened in front of him. Greeted by an empty box, he stepped in and nodded. "Fine day."

* * *

The day began like any other day for Kate Beckett. Wiping the sleep away from her eyes at four in the morning, she makes her way to her little cupcake bakery by five. She had always been a morning person and after her mother's death she decided not to waste another second of her life. Ever since, she'd been arriving at her bakery in wee hours of the morning.

The cupcakes, pies and other desserts were her solace, her sanctuary on earth. They didn't talk back, they didn't leave her like everybody else had. They never disappointed her. She loved baking and it made her smile.

She walked down East 5th Street from her bus stop and smiled when she saw the big sign - "The 12th" - staring back at her. She loved this place. It was the very first thing she had purchased with the money she'd saved while apprenticing at various bakeries around the city. Well, her dad supported her purchase as well, but that was not important at the moment. What was important was that the place was her very own.

The tiny bell rings when she opens the front door. Kate is instantly greeted by the wonderful smells of fruit and chocolate. She smiles and makes her way to the manager's room to dispose of her coat and bag before entering the kitchen.

Taking the batter out of the fridge, she prepares the first batch of cupcakes. In no time, the deliciously smelling peanut butter cupcakes are already in the oven.

Beckett loves every minute of it - the solace of working alone, everything coming together in her hands, her trying to create new flavour sensations.

She works relentlessly in the kitchen – making dough, preparing the pies to go into the oven and working out new interesting recipes. She doesn't notice the time fly by.

The front door opens again and the ringing of the little bell wakes her up from her trance and she looks up to see who entered her shop.

"What the hell are you doing here so early, Beckett. Do you ever sleep?" a sassy shout from the cafeteria rings around the in small space.

Esposito.

Kate smiles.

It's her sous-chef. While she is good in the area of making the small desserts like cookies and cupcakes, Esposito is a master of big things, like pies and cakes, éclairs, fruit tarts and pastries, everything along the lines of what people loved.

"Don't start," she smiles at him as he makes his way over to the kitchen. "You know I like to work alone."

Esposito only nods and then points to the far end of the Cafeteria. "When did he come in? Have you served him yet?"

Beckett furrows her eyebrows. "Who?"

Esposito shifts to reveal a man sitting in the corner, scribbling something down into his notepad and looking out of the window.

"_When did he come in_?" she hisses to Esposito.

"That's what I am asking from _you,_" the Latino smirks, walking over to the counter, getting a menu and placing it on a tray.

Beckett bites her lip nervously. "I don't know. I didn't hear anything. I thought the door was closed!"

Esposito laughs full heartedly, extending the tray to her. "Go and serve the man. I think he has waited long enough. We don't want to lose any more customers, do we?"

Beckett only sticks her tongue and walks past him to the table where the mysterious man is sitting.

"I'm sorry for the long wait," she apologizes. "What can I get you?"

The man turns his face to look at her and Kate draws in a shocked breath.

She knows instantly who he is.

Richard Castle!

Her favourite writer.

His books helped her to get through her mother's murder and the long hours of study sessions in the back room of the culinary college. She just adores his words and… now he is here.

"Oh, no worries," the writer smiles what has to be his brightest smile. "I was just having a good time scribbling some stuff down. I didn't mind the wait."

"Oh. I'm so sorry again." She stops and then tentatively asks, "Exactly how long have you been waiting here?"

"Oh, not long," he dismisses her with a hand gesture. "I think an hour or so."

Beckett's mouth falls open.

"An hour? And you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't want to disturb you. You looked very content in your little bubble. I liked seeing that." He places his hand over her hand, creating electricity between them. His hands are warm. Very warm.

"You watched me work?" Kate gasps and pulls her hand away. "All the time you waited? It's creepy."

He shakes his head, being proud of his actions. "It's not. You're adorable."

Beckett furrows her brows, trying to wrap her mind around the man who is sitting there and has been watching her work for almost an hour. Creepily.

She finally gets some words out, "Can- can I get you anything, now that I am here?"

"Maybe." He winks at her. "Is the fresh batch of bear claws ready yet? I saw you rolling them and … I would like the very fresh ones. Oh, and coffee. I really like coffee with the bear claws. Together. I noticed that your place is near to the 12th precinct. Do you have a lots of officers and detectives coming by here. Do they eat donuts all the time? And-"

"Mister Castle," she stops the flow of his words. Man, he can talk _a lot_. "Do you want something else?"

"No, not at the moment," he shakes his head and opens his mouth to ask something again.

She decides to go get him his coffee and bear claw. She knows that she is being an ass walking away like that, but the amount of talk that comes out of the man… No wonder he decided to be a writer. The words seem to find a way out of him in any possible way.

"If this is all, I will go and get your coffee now."

"Hey!" he exclaims as she walks away from him. He gets up from his booth and starts walking towards the counter as well. "You didn't answer my questions!"

She fiddles with the buttons of the espresso machine and the thing wheezes to life.

"You didn't ask anything important," she throws back at him.

He settles on one of the tall stools around the bar area and observes her, his eyes travelling from her hands to her backside to her slim waist.

"I asked you stuff that was important to me, you could have just answered." He can't just let things be. "I wanna know things."

Her shoulders drop as she rests her backside against the counter and watches the coffee pour into the cup.

"Fine," she resigns.

Castle smiles. "Why is your cupcake shop named 'The 12th'?"

Beckett shakes her head. Out of _all _the things, he wants to know _that._

Before she can open her mouth, Kevin Ryan, who just stepped in to the cafeteria, answers for her. "It's because we are really close to the 12th precinct. Cops love the place. Lots of customers from there."

Castle turns around on his stool and greets the man with another one of his smiles. He seems to do that a lot. _Smile._

"Kevin Ryan," the newcomer introduces himself. "Work here as a waiter. Nice to meet you. You are?"

"Richard Castle," the writer introduces himself. The two of them shake hands. Seem to be friends in a blink of an eye.

Suddenly Castle's eyes widen and he remembers something.

"Wait a minute." He turns back to Kate who is walking towards him with his coffee. He watches her as he places the coffee down on the counter and slides it to him. Then he shifts his focus from the cup to her eyes. "I didn't introduce myself. How did you know my name?"

Before she can even think of an answer to the question, Castle squeaks. "Oh, my god, you have read my stuff. Haven't you? Are you a fan! You are a big, fat, Richard Castle fan! Why haven't I been in this bakery before. Did you just open?"

Beckett raises her eyebrows in annoyance. Does he ever stop? She decides to ignore most of his questions and only goes for the last one. "No, we didn't _just _open. We have been here over five years. Where have you been living if you haven't visited us earlier?"

"In New York! Right here. Well. Not right here. I live… um... lots of blocks away. But that's not the point. The point is… this place is awesome!"

As Ryan laughs at the writer and engages in a discussion about the transport opportunities from SoHo to the shop and back.

"_You walked all the way here?"_ Ryan asks, surprised.

Beckett sees an opportunity to sneak back into the kitchen to see if the bear claws are ready to be taken out of oven. Esposito has already prepared a few of the pies and they sit on the counter, waiting their turn. She opens the door of the oven quickly and takes the fresh bear claws out. She places them on the counter to cool and looks back at the bar, where Castle has made himself pretty comfortable.

After wiping his hands on his apron, Esposito joins Ryan at the bar, both of them now answering all of the writer's questions about the bakery and everything that comes into his mind.

Good. That will keep him occupied.

She picks the fresh, hot bear claws up one by one and dips them into the glaze before setting them on a beautiful silver tray. Glazing the last claw, she puts that one on a small plate and takes both the tray and the plate out to the front of the shop.

"Here you are," she places the bear claw in front of Castle.

"Thank you," he responds, picking up the delicious pastry and taking a fair bite out of it. "Oh, it's hot! That fresh huh?"

She smiles at him, "Just took them out of the oven."

She shifts her gaze from Castle to Esposito. "The oven is free, you can put the pies in."

Esposito nods and mumbles "As you wish" before he disappears into the kitchen.

"Mmmmm… that is so good." Castle tries to speak with full mouth. "What do you put in here? It tastes different than other bear claws I have eaten. This is good. This is very, very good." And he bites another furious bite from the bear claw.

"You should taste my cupcakes," she muses as she is pours herself a cup of coffee.

Castle freezes in the middle of chewing his last bite. He swallows hard. "That is so hot."

Beckett arches up an eyebrow.

Castle smirks, revealing a bit of a brownish glaze stuck between his teeth.

"But seriously. What do you mix in there? Some kind of secret ingredient?"

"Maybe," she mumbles and takes another sip of coffee.

Suddenly Castle's eyes go big and he realizes something. Again. "Secret ingredient? I saw you baking while I was here. Making dough. I saw what you put in there." He pauses for effect and looks at her very intently.

"I know what your secret ingredient is!" Castle beams with happiness that he could solve a mystery that was under his nose the whole time.

Beckett realizes that Castle is about to blurt out her well-kept secret. She has to do something before it's too late. Frantically, she plunks the coffee mug down on the counter and leans towards him.

"It's ...mphh-" Castle stops talking as Beckett covers his mouth with her hand.

At the very same moment, Ryan steps out of the kitchen area, now dressed in the house colours and looking like a true waiter. He stops at the door and the scene unfolding before his eyes makes him laugh hysterically.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Ryan inquires between laughs. Beckett only glares at him and reluctantly releases Castle's mouth.

Kate points at Castle. "Don't you dare to say it out loud! You are not supposed to even know what the secret ingredient is! Why are you here anyway?"

"I'm sorry," Castle says unconvincingly but grinning like a kid at Christmas. "Like I said, I was just in the neighborhood."

He stops for a moment, letting his tongue swirl across his lips "What do you have on your hands? It tastes good."

He takes Beckett's hand, raises it under his nose and takes a sniff. Beckett tries to protest and takes back her hand but he holds it in his hands tightly.

"Peanut butter. I like it." He earns another angry glare from Beckett.

"What the hell?" The loud voice of Lanie booms through the shop, making Beckett jump away from Castle. Reluctantly, he releases her hand.

"Lanie!" Beckett squeaks out.

Castle gets up from his seat and smiles at Lanie who is dressed in blue blouse and blue shorts, wearing the "The 12th" nametag on her chest.

"Hello there," he charms the woman. "I'm Rick Castle."

"I know who you are." Lanie answers back, taking his hand and shaking it. "But my question is, why is my girl here angry at you?"

Castle's smile falters. "Ah... um. I may have said something wrong."

"That is an understatement," Beckett mocks him while placing few blue boxes on the counter. "Here you go, Lanie. First batch is ready for delivery."

"Thank you." Lanie sits down on one of the chairs, right next to Castle. "But before I go, there is a bit of news I have to share with you, Kate."

Beckett settles down leaning slightly on the glass wall that separates the kitchen and the dining area and she takes another sip of coffee, carefully ignoring the intense gaze from Castle. "Go ahead. Today, nothing can surprise me anymore."

"Are you sure?" Lanie smirks. "Because this is big."

"Lanie…"

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." She takes a lungful of air. "Here it is. _'The Pie Power'_ is gonna move just next door to you. I just saw trucks outside."

Beckett's mouth falls open in surprise.

That is the news she definitely wasn't expecting.

She leans back fully against the glass and closes her eyes.

Her biggest competition is going to move next door. Just like that. The biggest pie and cupcake chain in the city. Next door to her little shop. This is not good. This is not good at all.

"Bracken, you son of a bitch," she mutters leaning her head against the glass.

* * *

**So, what do you think? **

**P.S. I must warn you guys, the updates with this fic will not be fast, so bear with me, please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

At this very moment in the city of New York, famous mystery novelist Richard Castle just stepped out of his SoHo loft and started his walk around the city - breathing in a dusty air and randomly walking around the streets. For him it was soothing. He didn't plan to take a very long walk, but the plot bunnies inside his head were keeping him occupied. He didn't even notice leaving the SoHo area, ending up in East Village. Walking up from Mott Street to Bleecker Street, ending up in Bowery, he wakes up from his daydream. As it is still a sunny and perfectly pretty day, he decides to continue his journey.

There is a blue sign on the East 5th street that catches his eye. The deep red cupcake figure with hand painted cerulean letters and numbers: "The 12th". Interesting combination. He walks closer to the little shop and he stops in front of it. The wood framed windows have cerulean drapes in front of them, currently pulled back with burgundy coloured strap. The booths against the windows are upholstered and the wine red colour of the fabric gives depth to the room.

He notices the handwritten sign on the door that indicates the shop is closed. But in the upper right corner of the door, it's written that it should be open after nine. Castle raises his hand, moves his shirt cuff aside and checks the time. It's a bit past eight. He pushes down the door handle and to his surprise; he discovers the door to be unlocked. For a second, he just stands there, deciding if he should go in or stay out. His curiosity gets the best of him and he opens the door.

When he silently sneaks into the room, he is greeted by mouthwatering aroma of baked goods and the faint smell of coffee. The little coffee shop is as nice looking inside as it was outside. The combination of blue and red has been used well in the room, entwining the colours into a nice bouquet. The blue walls add depth to the room, while burgundy coloured booths and stools give an aura of mystery. The wooden tables and chairs give the shop a homey look. Inviting, welcoming. The furniture of the shop goes very well with the light wooden floor and the bar area, made out of a little bit darker wood.

He likes it.

He can hear somebody working in the kitchen and he steps forward. To his surprise, he discovers that behind the round counter there are glass walls allowing him to see everything happening in the kitchen.

He is about to open his mouth to ask if anyone is around, but his words die on his lips.

There is a woman working in the kitchen. Her thick, brown, wavy hair is tied back, but that doesn't stop some of the strands from fleeing the bounds. Her face is beautiful and slender, slight red blush covering her cheeks, probably due to the heat the oven emanates. She seems to be extremely focused, her golden eyes fixed on the dough before her. She is rolling the dough between her hands and humming softly some kind of a melody. She is wearing light clothes - grey tank top and purple skirt that kisses her knees. Her chest is covered with an apron that has the same colours as the whole shop, red and blue.

He just stares her, the question he wanted to vocalize, is long forgotten.

He is completely entranced by the soft beauty of the woman in the kitchen, and every move she makes seems like a dance.

After a while, he closes his mouth and finds himself a seat at the far end of the room, where he has a great view of the kitchen. He knows it might be a little bit creepy to sit there and watch her working, but she seems to have cast a spell on him. So he just sits there, keeping an eye on what she is doing and scribbles something into his notebook every now and then.

The perfect bubble around the two of them bursts when a man steps into the shop around an hour later.

* * *

"Who is Bracken?" Castle asks aloud when the silence has stretched for too long.

Beckett just ignores him and continues to stand there against the glass wall, her eyes closed. Ryan busies himself with the espresso machine and Esposito quickly disappears into the kitchen. Castle turns his eyes towards Lanie, who is staring back at him.

"Bracken…" Lanie sighs. "Bracken is the owner of the _'The Pie Power'_ chain around the city. His bakeries have killed the small, local coffee shops and ended their business."

"Like _The 12th_?"

"Yeap," Lanie nods.

"Oh, gosh darn crap," Castle mumbles, his mind racing to see the bigger picture about the real situation of the adorable coffee shop he just fell in love with.

Ryan takes the opportunity when he sees it and disappears into the kitchen as well.

"You can say that again," Beckett mumbles, her eyes are now following his.

"And there is nothing you can do?" He looks at Beckett, then back to Lanie.

Lanie shakes her head. "We can try to talk to the owner of the building, but I think that Gates-woman is not going to change her mind easily. Bracken's businesses always bring in money. And money is good for her."

Castle furrows his eyebrows. _Gates woman?_

_The facts were these: William H. Bracken, the CEO of 'The Pie Power' chain and a chillingly good politician, is the most influential man in the city of New York. Having opened 30 "Pie shops" around the city, his businesses have caused the closing of the various independent coffee shops and bakeries. At the same very day, Bracken had closed a deal with the landowner Victoria Gates and purchased commercial space in the vacant lot right next to 'The 12th'. With his all intents and purposes, Bracken's idea was to slowly but surely to kill off the small bakery owned by Katherine Beckett_.

"And you can't reason with her?" Castle asks from Lanie, as everybody else was ignoring him.

Lanie shrugs. "I don't know. I haven't had the honour of meeting her." She turns to Beckett. "Kate, you have spoken with her. What do you think?"

Before even Beckett can open her mouth, Castle cracks a big smile, which makes Kate wonder if it might break his face. "Kate? Your name is Kate?"

Beckett blushes. "Yes. But that's not important right now." She turns to Lanie. "For the most part, Gates has been okay. Very strict and everything has to be by her rules. But…" She scrunches her nose, but sighs, tiny bit of hope sneaking into her voice. "I don't know. It could be worth a shot?"

Castle is completely tuned out from the conversation the two women are sharing and mulls over the revelation of the name of his mystery woman. "Kate?"

Beckett turns to face him. "Yes?"

"What's your last name?" Castle doesn't let it go.

Beckett sighs and shoots him a look. "Why does it matter to you?"

"I want to know."

She arches an eyebrow. "Why didn't you ask before?"

"I am asking now." He wiggles his eyebrows and goes for the best of his smoldering gaze.

"Geez," Lanie rolls her eyes at the two of them bantering together. "Stop it you two. Get a room or something."

When both of them turn their slightly red faces towards her, Lanie turns to Castle. "Her name is Beckett. Kate Beckett."

Castle mouths_ 'Thank you'_ to the delivery woman as she gets up from the bar stool.

Beckett just glares at her.

"Oh, don't give me that," Lanie dismisses her glare. "I need to get going. The cupcakes won't deliver themselves."

"Bye Lanie," Beckett chuckles. "Thank you for stopping by."

"Anytime. Call me if you have any more deliveries."

"Will do," Beckett nods. And with that, Lanie is out of the door and heading towards her car.

And silence settles between the two of them.

"So..." Castle is the first to break the quiet spell.

"So?" Beckett continues pushing herself away from the wall and walking towards the counter, where he is sitting.

"Kate Beckett…" Castle he chews on her name, tasting the feel of it in his mouth. "You have a pretty name."

Beckett blushes a bit, her hands shake slightly as she lifts his empty coffee cup away from him.

"Thanks," she mumbles and disappears into the kitchen. Safe from his eyes. His blue, gorgeous, inquiring eyes.

Both of the boys look at her when she appears to the small heated room, sharing the same kind of quizzical look. Ryan finishes up his chat with Esposito, leaves him with his pies and returns to the front counter.

Beckett walks towards her office and sits down, her mind reeling. This man came to her bakery and made everything a mess inside her head. She was so entranced by his manly physique and the gentle tone of his voice. But every time he opened his mouth, her brain got frustrated and wanted to say something snarky. Her emotions were in turmoil. He was, after all, her favourite author. The very same who had written all those beautiful words that helped her in the lonely nights at culinary college, when she was missing her mom so badly.

She didn't know what to do. What to do about him. She thinks he is adorable, but at the same time, he is annoying as hell. This is all so confusing.

The boys were handling things perfectly well in front of the shop - they were entertaining the writer and answering his every question about the bakery.

She rests her head against the wall and draws in few deep breaths to calm her heart and her mind.

She has a job to do.

_Yes._

She needs to finish the cupcakes. Her morning batch is almost ready and only thing they need is the icing.

She rises from the chair and walks towards her kitchen counter where the plateful of cupcakes is waiting for her. She grabs an icing bag and starts to apply the creamy deliciousness onto the cupcake. In a matter of few minutes, she has a whole tray full of decorated cupcakes - icing, sprinkles and chocolate buttons are everywhere.

She draws in another deep breath before she picks up the tray and makes her way towards the shop.

The boys and Castle are _still_ engaged in deep discussion about her shop when she opens the door.

"So, what you're saying is, that you are not the owner?" Castle stares Esposito with confusion. "How come?"

"Because the shop _had_ already an owner before I came here," Espo states matter-of-factly and raising his head as he sees Beckett coming into the shop area again. He smirks. Raises his hand to point at her. "Meet the owner of the shop, Katherine Beckett."

Castle turns his gaze to her, slack jawed and his eyes big. "You, the owner? No way!"

Beckett settles the tray down to the counter and huffs. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"I-, I… um … I…," he is having trouble putting his thoughts into a sentence. "So you are the owner, huh?"

Beckett only smiles as both Ryan and Esposito chuckle at Castle's inability to speak.

Beckett turns to him and arches up an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. "Yes, I am the owner. Why is that _so _surprising to you?"

"It's not surprising," Castle stutters a bit. "It's just… unexpected. You doing the waitressing and then baking. I just…. thought..."

"You thought what, Castle?" Beckett smirks, but tries to hold her voice low, to seem a little bit more threatening than she is. "Can't I waitress and bake in my own bakery?"

"I… I can't win this conversation, can I?" Castle sighs.

"Probably not," Beckett nods and turns her attention back to her tray of cupcakes. She crouches down and opens the glass door of the display case and starts placing her fresh cupcakes there, one by one.

When the uncomfortable silence sneaks between the four of them, Ryan pipes up. "Oh, look, it's nine o'clock. Should we open the shop?" He raises his head and looks at Beckett. She gives him a nod and he starts to walk towards the door.

"Oh, shoot!" Castle exclaims in sudden horror "It's already nine?"

Esposito nods at him as he scrambles off from the barstool, heading towards the corner booth to gather his things. "I promised my daughter I'd be home soon. I've been here over an hour."

"We noticed," Esposito replies sarcastically, making Beckett snort a giggle behind the glass case.

"You laugh now," Castle mumbles while putting on his jacket. "But mark my words: I will be back."

Beckett rolls her eyes before he dashes out the door.

* * *

True to his words - he comes back. Almost every day.

He would sit there, in her shop for hours and hours, just to observe the three of them working.

Sometimes he occupies the corner booth and when there are more clients in the shop, he sits on the barstool, trying to peek at what Beckett is doing.

Beckett tried to fight it at first, not allowing him to even enter the shop at one point. But soon, she realised that Castle's presence in the little bakery was arousing attention of the neighboring clientele. And she allowed him to stay.

He started bringing his books there, leaving them on the tables. At one point, he even organized a reading party of his Storm books there. Her business was flourishing and some of it she owed to him and his fame.

Everything was absolutely fabulous in her life (except for the annoyance and grief Richard Castle was putting her through every day) … until _the day_ arrived when her whole world was turned upside down.

Again.

* * *

**AN: Don't shoot me? I did say it will take longer to update this fic, especially since I haven't written anything in weeks. Apparently, everybody is finding that they need to do lots of things before Christmas at work and I have been extremely busy at work… so. Boo. Hopefully, as soon as my vacation starts, my inspiration hopefully comes back again. *fingers crossed*.**

**Please let me know if you enjoyed the fic. Reviews are awesome! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

At this very moment in the city of New York, Javier Esposito, who is 35 years, 5 months, 3 weeks and 15 days old, is sitting in a small cozy pub in the SoHo with his partner Kevin Ryan. Richard Castle, the famous novelist and their new friend, is sitting opposite of them. He was the one who invited the boys there for drinks in the first place. They are deep in conversation, and every now and then somebody laughs about the jokes they make. The three men seem to get along really well and Richard Castle likes it. It feels like he has found himself a weird but awesome friendship with those guys. And Beckett.

You can't really forget Beckett.

"Why Beckett didn't come?" Castle asks suddenly, interrupting Ryan's explanation to Esposito on the topic of ties.

Ryan himself was wearing awful tie with ducks on it - which brought up the tie-themed talk in the first place. It was an anniversary for him and his girlfriend had got him the tie. And he liked it. He was against removing it as well, even though Castle and Esposito were teasing him all evening.

Esposito snorts at Castle's question.

"You should know Beckett by now, Castle;" he states. "She isn't exactly what you would call … 'outgoing'. She doesn't like social gatherings. She keeps to herself."

Castle furrows his brows, deep in thought. "Haven't there been some nights when she has come out and had drinks with you guys? You know, just relax and mingle with people?"

Ryan thinks for a moment but then shakes head. "Nope. Don't remember. I mean not with us anyway."

Esposito nods at Ryan's words. "Yeah. After all. She is our boss."

"Yep," Ryan agrees, nodding.

"You should ask Lanie though," Espo offers. "I am pretty sure she and Beckett hang out sometimes."

Castle nods and sips his beer.

The boys sit in silence for few moments, then Castle, looking around in the pub, abruptly changes the topic.

"Nice place, isn't it?"

The boys avert their gazes to look their surroundings. The bar is indeed very nice. With green walls and dark furniture, wooden floor and lots of pictures on the walls - all of those create a very homey and comfortable aura around the clients, including the trio sitting in the side booth of the bar area. Further away, there is a pool table, surrounded by some young guys. The counter of the bar, that matches the dark wood used in furniture, looks worn and old, but comfortably suits in the bar.

The boys nod in unison, agreeing with Castle.

"Very… Irish," Ryan comments sarcastically. "Green. Who would have thought?"

"What's it called?" Espo pipes up. "Old… something, something?

Castle throws him a judgmental look. "The Old Haunt. You should know it by now. We have been eating and drinking here for quite a few nights by now."

"Right," Esposito nods. "Well, some people don't have a memory as good as yours."

Castle smirks and continues to tease him. "Are you saying you are getting old?"

"No!" Esposito objects instantly and starts to ramble. "I mean. Uh. No, I am not getting old... just... I don't remember the names of these hellholes usually."

Ryan and Castle both stare at him for few seconds and then burst out laughing.

Esposito glares them for a few while, but finally cracks a smile, because the situation _is_ funny.

"This isn't funny!" he protests.

But the writer can't stop laughing and cracks up even more.

"Dude, you should have seen your face!" he wheezes out through the breaths of laughter. "That was totally hilarious!"

He extends his arm to Ryan and gathers his fingers in a formation reminiscent of a bird's beak. "Feed the birds!" He offers an explanation to very confused Ryan.

Ryan mimics the writer's movements and when Castle nods, he exclaims. "Ooooh! I get it now. Birds, feeding. Yes."

Esposito just rolls his eyes at them.

They are so disgustingly cute. If Castle didn't have hots for their boss, Esposito would certainly guess that those two there would end up as a couple. Esposito wrinkles his nose and tries to ignore them as they are still laughing.

After Castle and Ryan _finally _stop laughing, all three fall into comfortable discussion over their beers. After, topics vary from PlayStation to crime, edging into his world of mystery books as well. They boys are eager to listen Castle's stories about his writing and what he has done to make his works even more authentic.

"You really followed NYPD detectives?" Esposito asks, shaking head disapprovingly. "How fast did they kick you out of the precinct?"

"Hey!" he protests "I have friends in high places. The Mayor was more than happy to help me get into the cop-world."

"And then? What happened?" Ryan asks eagerly.

"I tried to follow these detectives at the 54th. It was fun at first, new and interesting. But they had absolutely no sense of humour. It got boring and dry after few days, so I decided to leave. How much time do you really want to spend with older guys who whine about their wives all the time?"

"What were you expecting then?" Ryan shakes in head in laughter.

"I don't know," Castle pouts, then he perks up. "Maybe a hot detective? With a really hot body and awesome brain, kicking ass in the interrogation room, making the bad guys sweat. It would have been so fun experience…"

"Yeah, maybe only in your dreams." Esposito smirks. "They don't have hot-bodied detectives working in NYPD. Well, at least not in the 12th Precinct, as far as I know."

"You know, Beckett could have ended up being a cop, too," Ryan muses and concentrates on refilling his beer glass. Suddenly he yelps in pain as Espo's leg crashes against his.

Castle freezes. Suddenly, this new information about Beckett has his full attention. "What do you mean?"

Ryan tries to backtrack "Uh. Well. I guess, you didn't know that, huh?"

"Didn't know what?"

"That she attended law school for a year. Stanford. She could have been a lawyer. Or a cop. Or…" Esposito explains. He seems uncomfortable at this very moment, because Castle shouldn't hear these things from them, but straight from Beckett herself. "Hasn't Beckett told you about this? You two seem to always be discussing something. Usually very intently. We thought you'd know by now."

"No. I didn't." He shakes his head. "As you said yourself before, Beckett isn't exactly an open book when it comes to private matters."

Both Esposito and Ryan nod. Beckett doesn't share her private life. At all. There is always a shroud of mystery around her.

"What happened to her?" Castle suddenly asks, confusion written all over his face.

"Huh?"

He turns to Esposito. "You said she attended Stanford for a year. Something must have happened to cut her studies short."

As turns out, Richard Castle isn't a _dumb_ man. He can read between the lines and witnessing the caution which the boys are handling this topic - there has to be something more. The boys are merely trying to protect her. And come to think of it now, ever since he stepped into Beckett's bakery, there has always been something off with her. She is very closed person, yes. But her eyes - her beautiful brown eyes - are always full of sadness. Yes. Something must have happened to her to have _this_ kind of sadness in there.

Esposito stares at his beer glass intently, in order to avoid Castle's gaze. Ryan fidgets in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position, but he fails. They seem really reluctant to answer his question.

"Come on, guys. I know something happened. What was it?"

"You know, Castle," Esposito finally looks at him. "If Beckett hasn't told you it yourself, I am not sure it's our place to tell."

Ryan nods energetically at his partner's words.

Castle lets out a frustrated sigh. "Come on, guys. I am going to find out anyway, sooner or later. What's the big deal?"

The boys look at each other, exchanging wordless dialogue between them. Then they turn to look at Castle. Ryan nods to Esposito who then looks straight into Castle's eyes. He indicates the author to lean in closer as Esposito does the same.

"You didn't hear it from us. Or she will kill us. Got it?" Espo stresses, his voice half a whisper.

Castle nods, swallowing a lump in his throat.

This is gonna be big.

Esposito continues, "The reason Beckett didn't finish her law studies in Stanford was…" He is still hesitant to say it out. "Castle, her mother was murdered."

_Murdered. _

The word reverberates in his head. Her mother was murdered. No wonder her eyes are so sad. Her mother was taken away from her and she … she drowned her sorrows into her bakery.

His face falls, the cheerfulness he had before now gone. The boys are looking at him, trying to see his reactions from the sudden news.

"Was… uh," he clears his throat, the lump in his throat just grows bigger. He wants to do something. Anything. For her. "Was her mother's murderer caught?"

Esposito shakes head. "No."

"No?"

"The police said that it was random gang violence. But here's the catch. Nothing was taken from the body. Her mom still had her jewelry and money. The killer was never caught. I think the police just got tired of investigating and they gave up."

Castle is still trying to digest all the information he just learned. Killer never caught. Well, that would explain everything now, the cloud of mystery surrounding Beckett. He sees it now, he sees the broken woman and … he wants to help.

"How do you guys know all of this?" Castle furrows his brows while looking at the boys.

"It was all over the news way back. And, we have worked for Beckett for years." Ryan explains, his voice low.

Esposito shoots Castle a dangerous glance before leaning in again. "Remember, you didn't hear it from us. She will kill us if she finds out that we told you. Or she'll fire us. One and the same though. And, Castle..." Espo lowers his voice even more, "...never mention to Beckett that you know. Understood?"

Castle nods slowly. "Understood."

"Now," Esposito straightens himself. "Enough of that. What do you say, let's get something stronger. Whiskey anyone?"

Castle mumbles something for a response and Esposito takes off to order. Ryan is silent and watching Castle as the author has escaped into his own head, trying to understand what he just learned.

Sooner than he thought, Esposito is back at the table and for now, it feels like the writer has forgotten all about Beckett's mother's murder. He is cheerful, he is funny, he acts as if nothing had happened. And the boys are okay with it.

* * *

When Richard Castle finally gets home, he sits down in front of his computer, he can't stop his fingers from writing the name _Katherine Beckett_ into the search bar.

He needs to know.

Everything.

* * *

_**A/N: I wanted to say to you guys that I am going into a little bit of a break from writing. My muse isn't cooperating at the moment and a little breather should clear the air. I am not abandoning this fic. Because I love the AU I created that much. Its just, it takes me longer times to update it. I am so sorry. I try to be back soon. But ... I don't know when. **_

_**I hope you liked the chapter.**_

_**Review?**_


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